Clothing having adjustable belt loops

ABSTRACT

Belt loops for an article of clothing normally worn with a belt which are adjustable to accommodate different width belts. Each loop comprises a length of loop material secured to the underlying main body surrounding portion of the garment at a first and second point of attachment along the length of the loop with at least one point of attachment being achieved by the use of disengageable fastening members which permit the space between the attached points to be enlarged or reduced as required.

United States Patent 191 Rand [451 Feb. 5, 1974 CLOTHING HAVING ADJUSTABLE BELT LOOPS [76] Inventor: Robert B. Rand, PO. Box 1939,

Daytona Beach, Fla. 32015 [22] Filed: Aug. 2, 1972 21 Appl. No; 277,267

[52] US. Cl. 2/236, 2/271 [51] Int. Cl. A411 9/00 [58] Field of Search 2/236, 271, 237, 229

[5 6] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,408,703 11/1968 Brandenberg 2/271 X 918,924 4/1909 Spraque 2,264,972 12/1941 Greenberg 2/271 Primary Examiner-H. Hampton Hunter Attorney, Agent, or Firm George J. Neilan [5 7 ABSTRACT Belt loops for an article of clothing normally worn with a belt which are adjustable to accommodate different width belts. Each loop comprises a length of loop material secured to the underlying main body surrounding portion of the garment at a first and second point of attachment along the length of the loop with at least one point-of attachment being achieved by the use of disengageable fastening members which permit the space between the attached points to be enlarged or reduced as required.

10 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures CLOTHING HAVING ADJUSTABLE BELT LOOPS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to articles of clothing, such as trousers, dresses, skirts and the like which are normally worn with belts, and, more specifically, to improved belt-receiving loops for such items of apparel which loops are capable of being adjusted in order to accommodate any belt width desired.

As a consequence of ever changing styles and fashions in wearing apparel for men, women and children, it has recently become fashionable to wear trousers, slacks, shorts, dresses, slacks, etc., with extremely wide belts. Recognizing the popularity of this trend in fashions for men, women and children, clothing manufacturers are offering wearing apparel designed to be worn with wide style belts and, therefore, many of these clothing items are provided with relatively large belt loops. On the other hand, people in the clothing industry are cognizant of the fact that a significant number of individuals still prefer to wear traditional narrower belts and further that for certain occasions the wide belt style is inappropriate. And, therefore, clothing manufacturers are continuing to produce apparel with the standard size of belt loops.

Likewise, belt makers are currently supplying belts in a wide variety of styles and widths to be worn with articles of clothing having either the standard narrow loops or the contemporary wider loops.

Due to the foregoing circumstances, the consumer is confronted with the problem that clothing items purchased may have belt loops which will not satisfactorily accommodate belts already in his possession. For instance, if the article of clothing has wide belt loops and the belt is ofa narrow width, the loops will be much too large for the belt and, therefore, the loops will stand out away from the waistband portion of the clothing in an unattractive manner, rather than having the desired flush appearance which is obtained when the belt fits snugly between the ends of the loop. Moreover, if one already has a wide belt and subsequently purchases a pair of trousers, dress, skirt and the like which are intended to be worn with the narrower style of belt, it is apparent that the aforesaid wide belt cannot be Worn with the newly purchased item of clothing. Thus, in either of the situations described, the consumer must buy several widths of belts or attempt to purchase clothing having belt loops which will suitably receive the belt or belts already a part of ones wardrobe accessory items. In any event, it requires the expenditure of more money for ones clothing than would have been necessary if the belt loops on items of clothing were capable of receiving any width of belt. These unnecessary expenditures for clothing become especially significant when one considers the present high cost of clothing items and projected increases in same contemplated by economic observers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore a primary object of this invention to provide adjustable belt-supporting loops for articles of clothing, which loops may be enlarged or reduced in size, as required, whereby any such article fitted with.

the loops of this invention may be worn with belts of different widths.

Another object of this invention is to provide adjustable belt loops which may be conveniently and economically attached to articles of clothing during the course of manufacturing same or, alternatively, may be attached subsequent to the production of same.

Other objects, features and advantages of this invention will become more apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description and by reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Referring now to the drawings: FIG. 1 represents a plan view of one embodiment of the adjustable belt loop of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line I 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 depicts a plan view of a second embodiment of the belt loop according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIGS. 5 and 7 represent plan views of other preferred embodiments of this invention; and

FIGS. 6 and 8 represent cross-sectional views taken along lines 66 and 88 of the respective FIGS. 5 and 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawing, a belt loop according to one embodiment of the present invention, designated generally by reference numeral 10 in said figure, and comprised of an elongated loop structure generally resembling a conventional belt loop in appearance and attached at its upper end in fixed relationship with the waistband 12 of a garment by stitching 14. A lower or opposite end portion 16 of the loop is removably secured to the underlying main body material by either one of disengageable male snaps 18 and 20 on the garment and a complementary female snap 19 on the loop.

In the position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the lower end of the belt loop is secured to the underlying garment fabric by snap 18 near waistband seam 22 to form a closed belt-supporting loop shorter than the maximum length of said loop and therefore, of the length required for use with a belt 24 of relatively narrow width.

In a second preferred embodiment of the belt loop according to this invention, a snap 26 shown in FIG. 3 may be utilized in lieu of stitching 14 previously described with respect to FIG. 1 in order to detachably secure the upper end of the loop to the garment. There are two snaps 19 on the loop to enable adjustment of the space for a belt depending upon which snap 18 or 20 and its associated female snap 19 are used.

With reference to FIGS. 5 and 6, in another embodiment of the instant invention, the lower portion of belt loop 10 is inserted through an opening 28 located at or near waistband seam 22, and the lower portion of the belt loop is removably attached to the inner lining 33 of the garment by either snap 32 or 34 so that the lower end of the belt loop is attached on the inside of the garment and, consequently, hidden from view when the garment is being worn.

It is apparent from a consideration of the above described embodiment wherein the lower end of the loop is inserted inwardly through the opening 28, that the belt loop functions somewhat differently than the embodiments previously described. More specifically, when it is desired to wear a wide style belt 35, the belt loop is made larger by securing the lower end of same by means of snap 32 located nearest the opening through which the loop is inserted, rather than the lowermost snap 34. As can best be seen by reference to FIG. 6, attachment of the loop at its lower end by means of snap 32 causes a substantial portion of the overall length of the loop to be disposed on the external side of the garment with the lower portion of the loop extending to or near a point below opening 28 corresponding to the inside point of attachment so that when wide belt 35 is inserted through the loop it overlaps part of the loop material. When using a narrower belt, the size of the loop on the outside of the garment is'reduced by drawing more of the loop through opening 28 and attaching the loop to snap 34 rather than snap 32. Thus, the belt loop shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 is effectively enlarged to accommodate a wide belt by attaching the lower end of the loop by means ofa snap corresponding to one which would result in a smaller loop according to the embodiment depicted in FIGS. 1 or 2.

In still another embodiment shown in H08. 7 and 8, the belt loop of the present invention may be removably attached at its lower end by means of buttonholes 36 and 38 and button 40.

In utilizing the adjustable belt loops of the present invention, the wearer may first adjust the belt loops to the position required in order to receive the width of the belt desired to be worn, and then insert the belt through the positioned loops. Alternatively, the belt may be placed about the waist and the loops adjusted accordingly.

The belt loops of this invention may be comprised of the same material as the article of clothing to which they are attached or may be of different material than the garment. Thus, the belt loops may be made of any suitable fabric conventionally used in the making of wearing apparel and may include, for example, cotton, polyester, nylon, natural and synthetic leathers, and the like. Moreover, the belt loop material may be the same as or different than the color of the main fabric body, as desired.

Another important feature of the present adjustable belt loops, is that the loops may be made from elastic material which freely stretches when subjected to sufficient pulling force. The utilization of such elastic material in the construction of the belt loops in combination with the degree of adjustability obtained with the disengageable attachment means described hereinabove provide belt loops which have the capacity to receive almost any width of belt which one might desire to wear.

While the invention has been described andpointed out with reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various changes and modifications and substitutions can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, while snaps and buttons are depicted in the accompanying drawings and referred to above, it is apparent that any fastening or securing means capable of being engaged and disengaged for purposes of adjusting the size of the opening defined by the points of attachment of the belt loops may be utilized. Likewise, although only two fastening means are shown on the lower portions of the belt loops in the figures described, it will be appreciated that any practicable number of such fasteners may be employed in order to attain the degree of adjustability required by the circumstances. Moreover, it is readily apparent that the female portion of the disengageable fastening means may be located on the main body of the garment and the male portion on the loop, or vice versa, and that the particular arrangement is merely a matter of choice. It is intended, therefore, that the invention be limited only by the scope of the claims which follow.

What is claimed is:

1. In an article of clothing having a main body surrounding portion with a waist region and a belt, the improvement comprising a plurality of adjustable, flexible belt-supporting loops disposed around the waist region of said main body surrounding portion, first means securing a first portion of each loop to the main body surrounding portion, and a second means securing a second portion of each loop to said main body surrounding portion, at least one of said first and second means comprising a plurality of selectively employable disengageable fastening members on one of each loop and said main body surrounding portion and a co-acting fastening member on the other of each loop and said main body surrounding portion which permit the length of each loop to be adjusted to accommodate different belt widths.

2. The improvement as defined by claim 1 wherein one end of each loop is inserted through an opening in said main body surrounding portion and attached to the inside thereof so that said end and its point of attachment are concealed when said article is in use and wherein the other end of each loop is secured to the outside of said main body surrounding portion.

3. The improvement as defined by claim 2 wherein said opening resembles a buttonhole, the slot of which is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said loop and slightly larger than the width of said part inserted into said slot.

4. The improvement as defined by claim 1 wherein said first means is relatively permanent and is obtained by stitching said loop to the outside of said main body surrounding portion. I 5. The improvement as defined by claim 4 wherein said second means is movable relative to said first means and comprises said disengageable fastening members.

6. The improvement as defined by claim 1 wherein both of said first and second means are comprised of disengageable fastening members.

7. The improvement as defined by claim I wherein said disengageable fastening members are snaps on said main body surrounding portion and said co-acting fastening member is a snap on each loop.

8. The improvement as defined by' claim 1 wherein said disengageable fastening members are buttons and buttonholes.

9. The improvement as defined by claim 1 wherein said loop is comprised of a material having the same color and texture as the main body surrounding portion.

10. The improvement as defined by claim 1 wherein the material employed in the consruction of said loops is different from that of said main body surrounding portion. 

1. In an article of clothing having a main body surrounding portion with a waist region and a belt, the improvement comprising a plurality of adjustable, flexible belt-supporting loops disposed around the waist region of said main body surrounding portion, first means securing a first portion of each loop to the main body surrounding portion, and a second means securing a second portion of each loop to said main body surrounding portion, at least one of said first and second means comprising a plurality of selectively employable disengageable fastening members on one of each loop and said main body surrounding portion and a co-acting fastening member on the other of each loop and said main body surrounding portion which permit the length of each loop to be adjusted to accommodate different belt widths.
 2. The improvement as defined by claim 1 wherein one end of each loop is inserted through an opening in said main body surrounding portion and attached to the inside thereof so that said end and its point of attachment are concealed when said article is in use and wherein the other end of each loop is secured to the outside of said main body surrounding portion.
 3. The improvement as defined by claim 2 wherein said opening resembles a buttonhole, the slot of which is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said loop and slightly larger than the width of said part inserted into said slot.
 4. The improvement as defined by claim 1 wherein said first means is relatively permanent and is obtained by stitching said loop to the outside of said main body surrounding portion.
 5. The improvement as defined by claim 4 wherein said second means is movable relative to said first means and comprises said disengageable fastening members.
 6. The improvement as defined by claim 1 wherein both of said first and second means are comprised of disengageable fastening members.
 7. The improvement as defined by claim 1 wherein said disengageable fastening members are snaps on said main body surrounding portion and said co-acting fastening member is a snap on each loop.
 8. The improvement as defined by claim 1 wherein said disengageable fastening members are buttons and buttonholes.
 9. The improvement as defined by claim 1 wherein said loop is comprised of a material having the same color and texture as the main body surrounding portion.
 10. The improvement as defined by claim 1 wherein the material employed in the consruction of said loops is different from that of said main body surrounding portion. 